End in sight to platinum belt strike

Government may play more active role

THE record-breaking strike in the platinum sector, now in its 16th week, may be over by Wednesday as more and more workers return to work.

Free transport had been made available to striking workers in the Eastern Cape and Lesotho who want to return to work in Rustenburg, and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union ( Amcu) members were increasingly reporting for duty at Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), said Franz Stehring, divisional manager at union United Association of South Africa (Uasa).

“Amplats workers are getting back to Rustenburg, and they are immediately allowed to return to work and earn money. As more and more people start returning to work at Amplats, it will have a knock-on effect at Impala and Lonmin. Eventually, the dam wall will burst. My gut feeling is that this will all be over by Wednesday,” Stehring said.

It is understood that 23.6% of Amcu workers reported for duty at various Amplats mines this week, and that their attendance at Bathopele mine was as high as 42%.

Mpumi Sithole, Amplats spokeswoman, said that her company had witnessed a rise in staff attendance in Rustenburg and a take-up of the wage offer.

Lonmin, which focused mainly on maintenance operations during the strike, said in a weekly newsletter that it planned to return to normal operations on Wednesday if enough workers with the right skills signalled their intention to accept the offer. Logistics would be arranged in terms of transport and security measures, the company said.

“We are certainly in favour of this,” said Stehring.

Workers who were not on strike had been paid, but production bonuses accounted for 25%-55% of earnings, depending on the job grade, meaning that the strike had dire financial consequences for all staff, said Gideon du Plessis, Solidarity general secretary.

At Impala, nonstriking workers’ paid leave had been extended until May 18, said spokesman Johan Theron.

Impala workers have been voting via SMS on whether the wage offer was fair, and whether they were willing to return to work.

The results would be available early next week, and if a majority wanted to return to work meetings would be requested with Amcu leadership and government, Theron said.

Any return to work would depend on the safety situation, he said.

Violence and intimidation in the area has declined markedly since the start of the strike, according to role players in the area.

Du Plessis said that it was expected

As more return to work it will have a knock-on effect, and the dam wall will burst

that the government would play a more active role with the elections over, especially in terms of security presence in the area.

“There may have been concern from the companies and government before the elections that any drastic action may have political ramifications.

“The end of the elections may bring a whole new dynamic to the process, and government may now put the national interest ahead of party politics,” he said.

The settlement offer would result in entry-level underground staff earning R12 500 a month by July 2017.

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa and treasurer Jimmy Gama could not be reached for comment.